Forbes Korea’s 8th FKA Awards: V and NJU Win Male and Female Titles Respectively

V and NJU won the male and female idol categories at Forbes Korea’s 8th FKA (Forbes Korea K-pop Awards), held in collaboration with the global fan platform IdolChamp. The voting campaign, which lasted approximately 20 days from May 12 to 31, was divided into a preliminary round (May 12–21) and a final round (May 22–31). A total of 33 teams competed, including 16 male teams and 17 female teams. In the male idol preliminary round, TOMORROW X TOGETHER received 33,560 votes, accounting for 41.61% of the total votes, and advanced to the final round first. V’s vote count surged rapidly on the last day of the preliminary round as fans cast their ballots in his favor. The top five in that round were V with 9,215 votes, TEMPEST with 9,025 votes, j-hope with 6,938 votes, and Junho with 5,104 votes. In the female idol preliminary round, UNIS and NJU competed closely, exchanging first and second place. Ultimately, UNIS secured first place by earning 11,416 votes, which represented 41.62% of the total votes, finishing 683 votes ahead of NJU. NJU finished in second place, followed by TWICE in third, NMIXX in fourth, and Dreamcatcher in fifth. During the final round on May 22, V won outright with 159,336 votes, accounting for 38.64% of the total votes. TEMPEST came very close behind with 153,256 votes, representing 37.16% of the votes. In the female final round, NJU finished first with 67,830 votes, which was 36.89% of the total votes, while UNIS took second place with 57,274 votes, accounting for 34.76% of the votes. The most notable feature of this FKA awards was the close competition that saw changes in winners between the preliminary and final rounds. Overseas fans played a significant role in the final round. For the male idol category, the highest participation came from Japan, Vietnam, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and South Korea, while for the female idol category, it was Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, the United States, and Singapore, reflecting the global presence of K-POP. After winning Forbes’ Idol King of Kings competition in March this year, V was discharged from military service on June 10. The cover video of “Don’t Drop That Thun Thun (Remix 98 BPM)” featuring him and Lee Jung, released the day after his discharge, attracted massive attention, breaking through 50 million views in just 22 hours. BTS stopped group activities for about three years following the release of “Proof” in June 2022, focusing on solo projects and military service. On June 13, to mark the group’s 12th anniversary, all members attended j-hope’s world tour encore shows, raising expectations for full-group activities. The rookie group UNIS also received significant attention. Formed in 2024 through SBS’s girl group audition show “Universe Ticket,” UNIS is composed of eight members with citizenships from South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines. They showcased their outstanding singing skills and performances with tracks like “Superwoman” from their first mini-album “WE UNIS” in March 2024 and “Neoman Molla” from their first single album “CURIOUS” in October of the same year. After releasing their new song “SWICY” in April this year, they achieved their first music show victory on “Show! Champion” on MBC M and MBC Every1. Despite being rookies, they received considerable attention in 2024 by winning over 10 awards, including a spot on the 2024 MAMA Awards Fans’ Choice Female Top 10.